Build Magazine 44 Manufacturing & Supply The photovoltaics (PV) industry is growing by the day. As energy demands require nations around the world to increase cast their eyes upon the potential of renewable energy sources, there is no one sector is as much potential as solar. This is where Solfit Ltd. find themselves at home – the team members of this Penrith-based firm have cast themselves an illuminating presence in an increasingly competitive industry, as a highly innovative manufacturer of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) framing systems, catering across the market to the distributor, the installer, and the end user. he conventional roof top domestic solar market might be showing some signs of stagnation, but the BIPV new build market continues to grow at 20 per cent every year. As a result of this, PV manufacturing companies like Solfit are increasingly sought after, as End user customers, mass house builders, housing developers, PV installation companies, and self- builders alike, are on the lookout for an off-the-shelf, fully tested in-roof PV solution. In the face of all this demand, Solfit proudly demonstrate their potential as market leaders through their flagship product, the SolFiT Top Loader. With a framing system fitted to the laminate in the solar panel factory, the system is usually installed on new build properties or re-roofs, and fits to vertical battens fixed to the existing battens; each panel interconnecting with the next forms a strong and waterproof seal that can be installed from the top of the roof downwards, ridge to eaves, which increases the ease, efficiency and safety of fitting. “We are working with Bisol to manufacture the panels in order to provide this complete in-roof BIPV solution,” Ewen says. “The product is very new and has just attained its MCS certification for sale in the UK. We are also in talks with some major European and world players in the PV panel manufacturing industry.” This comes off the back of recent success for Ewen’s growing enterprise; “our first commercial projects were two Listed Buildings in Cumbria, which required a highly aesthetic and sensitive PV product.” The major challenge that Ewen has faced up to now has been to provide a product that is not only the simplest and fastest product to assemble in the PV factory, but also the simplest and fastest to install on the roofs – all of which has to be done at a price that is highly competitive. In the Limelight of Photovoltaics T Additional hurdles to overcome were intrinsically linked with the growth of the market sector – increasingly, these issues have been put to rest by further investment, but Ewen is eager to cast reflection on his own experiences in earning Solfit its reputation for excellence. “The hardest part is establishing a well-known and established brand that is recognised as the industry standard. We have to prove that our system is the fastest and easiest to assemble product to PV panel manufacturing companies. We also need to prove to PV installation companies that our product is the fastest and easiest system to fit and install, saving time and money on installation time.” These challenges aside, there are exciting times ahead for Ewen and Solfit. The in-roof and BIPV for new builds in the UK and across Europe is a massively growing one, with the latest figures estimating its growth at approximately 20 per cent over the last year. End users are demanding an aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-fit solar solution with built-in ventilation to increase output. Likewise, manufacturers are demanding a product that can be assembled by automated process on production lines. “This is what Solfit offers,” Ewen states simply. Not only that, but in Scotland it has become a legal requirement for all new builds to have renewables built into the fabric of the building, and in-roof PV is proving itself to be an increasingly popular choice to meet the requirements. Throughout England, a lot of local planning authorities are beginning to follow suit, demanding that new build properties have PV facilities built in to meet SAP requirements. Elsewhere, EU and Japan are proving to be world leaders in regulation for these industries. In spite of these clear signs of growth for the industry, it is no reason for Ewen and Solfit to get complacent about their prospects for further growth as a business. In particular, the ongoing Brexit fallout is a potential spanner in the works, bringing into question whether the beneficial EU regulations on BIPV systems will make themselves heard in the UK. Ewen, however, remains optimistic, and sets out a clear plan for the future. “As in-roof PV is going to become a standard through the UK, Europe and beyond, we plan to be at the forefront of the changes and become an established industry brand. “We are a very new and very small company but we really believe that our product is going to become the in-roof BIPV product of choice, it’s a very exciting time as we are just in our infancy but we are getting some amazing feedback and are talking to some major European PV manufacturing companies who are showing real and genuine interest. “There is not a product on the market apart from Solfit that can be assembled on to PV laminates using automated robotic processes, this is a huge advantage for our product.” Company: Solfit Ltd. Name: Ewen Estill Email:
[email protected] Web Address: www.solfit.co.uk Address: Noon Howe, Melkinthorpe, Penrith, CA10 2DR Telephone: +44 01931 589 052